Exposing the words and deeds of Fr. J. Bryan Hehir

Boston Archdiocese Backs Gay Pride Mass

It’s pretty bad in Boston. The Archdiocese of Boston, where “relativism” remains a household word, has flip-flopped yet again becoming the “John Kerry” of firm decision-making by now firmly backing a Catholic Mass to celebrate Gay Pride.

The Archdiocese of Boston is committed to evangelization and to being a welcoming Church for all of God’s people. St. Cecilia’s is a wonderful example of the exceptional parishes in the Archdiocese which seek to serve the Catholic faithful with grace, dignity, respect, compassion and love and being devoted to the Gospel and Christ’s saving ministry.

The reports that the Mass, originally scheduled for June 19th, was cancelled are not accurate. Rather the Mass was postponed. As indicated in the statement of the Archdiocese on June 10, a Mass welcoming the wider community of the faithful, including gays and lesbians, will be held. The Mass has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 10th at 11am.

We respect the desire of those individuals organizing and participating in the prayer service. We know that the postponement of the June 19th Mass has been disappointing to them. Our hope and prayer is that we can come together as one community of Catholics sharing in the Lord’s divine love for each of us.”

How can St. Cecilia’s be devoted to the Gospel and Christ’s saving ministry if they they’ve been promoting gay marriage for years?

Mass day in and day out is intended to commemorate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Why is any Mass being hijacked to celebrate Gay Pride at all, let alone any category of sinners–adulterers, those engaging in pre-marital sex, liars, etc.? Is the archdiocese that ill-informed about the purpose of Catholic Mass and Gay Pride that they still don’t understand this?

In your face. During the Gay Pride Parade, just about anywhere you looked there was something like this riding by in an official float. [MassResistance photo]

Men dressed as twisted versions of nuns, calling themselves “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgance,” marched in the Gay Pride Parade in Boston to mock the Catholic Church. [MassResistance photo]

So, unless I’m mistaken, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Bishop Robert Hennessey, Terry Donilon, Fr. John Unni, and the leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston are saying that the previous Mass promoted to celebrate and commemorate Boston Pride Month and Gay Pride–that includes the agenda and values reflected in the Gay Pride parade–is now on for July 10 with their full approval. Has Cardinal O’Malley totally lost his marbles?

If the above is true, then every one of those people is showing they probably can’t serve the Catholic church in Boston any longer, and all have to go.

Was a Mass promoted to celebrate Boston Pride month in June not permissible, but a Mass celebrating Boston Gay Pride in July is OK? The notoriously pro-abort, pro-gay Mayor Menino, who Bryan Hehir honored back in 2005 at at a Catholic Charities fundraiser, says he’ll attend. Let’s make sure Jarrett Barrios, Walter Cuenin, and Bob Bowers are there too. Maybe Cardinal O’Malley himself will celebrate the Mass.

The Mass every day welcomes everyone in the wider community. Why’s the regular 11am Sunday Mass now supposedly more welcoming than it normally already was?

What’s with the first statement that said the rescheduled welcoming Mass was going to welcome the wider community and “not specifically gays and lesbians” and now the new statement says they’re going welcome the wider community and specifically names “gays and lesbians”?

Where’s any call to rependence and conversion?

Calling out St. Cecilia’s as a “wonderful example of the exceptional parishes in the Archdiocese” is a huge slap in the face to every faithful pastor, every priest in this archdiocese and every Catholic who believes what the Church believes on marriage, sexual morality and even the purpose of Mass.

Can anyone confirm the archdiocese has an “ad limina” visit with the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI in the fall to review the state of the diocese? Me thinks this scandal needs to go on the agenda. If something’s not done about this travesty and scandal in the next few days, I think we’re going to have to mount a national campaign to the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI asking for the resignation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Bishop Hennessey, Terry Donilon, Fr. Unni, and anyone else responsible for letting this happen.

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75 Responses

If you have the time, Joe, I recommend putting this piece on every Catholic blog you can find, starting with ‘What Does the Prayer Really Say,’ the blog of Fr. Zulsdorf, who knows a lot of people in Rome.

In response to shocked and dismayed comment regarding why Holy Mass would be said for homosexuals, “let alone any category of sinners–adulterers, those engaging in pre-marital sex, liars, etc.” Did you know that Jesus hung about with “those people” during his time here on earth? Are you out ministering or do you prefer to cast stones because “they” make you uncomfortable? I ask, what puts you in a position to cast jugement? (John 8:7) Jesus is for all people and their conversion. (Matthew 2:15-17What makes you better than those sinners? My best guess is that Jesus didn’t entreat folks to convert. He showed his love by being a positive presence. I have so many atheist friends who used to bash the Church but then they met me they saw that the Church isn’t all fire, brimstone, and hate. Unfortunately all of your words come across like you are better than those people and know what is right and just. (Luke 18:9-14)

Actually, if you read your Bible you will find that I do know what I’m talking about. Also, you did a great job backing up your reply with copious research and evidence. Well done. Does anyone else find it funny that he countered Holy Scripture with something that is quite opposite?

Paul Melanson’s post on pride as the first sin of Sodom is pretty damning I think. I like too this comment and challenge from John Ansley:

“I’ll have to attribute this to paucity of intellect: thus far not one official of the Boston Archdiocese has been able to explain what “Gay Pride” means. Is it pride in homosexual acts which are “acts of grave depravity” (Catechism, 2357), the inclination which is “objectively disordered” (Catechism, 2358) or the fact that “the sin of Sodomites” is one of the “sins that cry to heaven”? (Catechism, 1867).

Come on Cardinal Sean, provide us with the theology behind “Gay Pride.” We await your reply.”

Every philosopher or theologian, indeed any THINKING person, must clarify his or her terms. That’s one of the first rules of critical thinking – as opposed to the mindless propaganda spurted by so many of today’s ideologists. What does St. Cecilia’s mean by “gay pride”? What does the Archdiocese mean?

Sean O let leak his true feelings in regard to the funeral of Teddie K. That was a warning sign that was difficult to read. Now, he is more than obvious. If you read Malachi Martin, this is not a surprise at all. Cardinal Bernardin did the same thing. These leaders put pressure on their priests to succomb to the “new morality”. There is a steady drumbeat of where this is going. There are definite links to the present administration with many of the women in power advocating strongly their strong radical (as in partial birth) abortion feelings even though Catholic. Once Elena Kagan becomes Chief Justice, all semblance of fairness will be gone in this march toward the new world order.

It’s pretty much a lost cause! A lot of these bloggers are stuck on some personal “morality” stuff which cannot be found in the Bible. Quote the Bible all you want, are going to twist the verse around and misinterpret it to their own liking!

The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is between a man and woman and that’s in-synch with natural law. This is not some blogger’s opinion. Sex outside of marriage is also immoral according to Church teachings, including homosexual sex. If you have an issue with those teachings, don’t complain here. We’re just proudly defending them.

Even the last catholic would not employ vitriolic rhetoric against another person. Despite your sincerely held beliefs, only god has the right to judge the hearts of others, and I seriously doubt that you are he.

Phil and Josh,
What hate?
Oh my! Did I hurt your feelings? Relax fellas, this is a blog.
I am not judging others hearts, God alone judges salvation.
I am judging poorly formed and misguided clowns who think celebrating
a Mass for unrepentant sexual deviants is a great idea.
Its wrong and the Catholic world outside of modernist Boston understands this.
Phil, You are right I am not God, I only volunteer to fill in on occasion.
(always capitalize ‘God’ when posting)
Josh, I can tell by your photo you are suffering from terminal ‘catholic good guy’ syndrome the only known cure is lunch with Jack O’Malley and The Latin Mass.

Wake up people.
The Gay Pride mass is not a charitable out reach – it is a victory lap.
The offer still stands on the sale table.

Josh,
I think you have come late to this party.
Thanks for the prayers.
When you get called a ‘hater’ because you stand firmly with The Church teaching it gets
old. When you get called a ‘hater’ by people within The Church you are dealing with progressives and modernists within. In most diocese in the world the discussion about a Gay Pride Mass would not see the light of day. In Boston we have to slug it out with people who call themselves Catholic and a Bishop who apparently lives in a parallel universe, and many suggest takes his orders from a Harvard professor.

My comment about the fudge sale was to point out how absurd this has become.

The comment line for the Boston Archdiocese is 617-756-5669. Catholics who see this apparent approval by Cardinal O’Malley to the July 10 Mass at St. Cecilia’s Church can call this number to object to the Cardinal giving approval to this Mass that advances the interests of the GLBT initiative.. It is exactly the same situation in which those who were determined that the Catholic Church should take the position that same-sex sex acts are good and should be approved ,formed the Companions program in 1999 and held their Mass to celebrate the Companions initiative as an approved outreach to those engaging in homosexual acts. The Mass was held at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton and the homily was intended to give approval to those who were engaging in same-sex sex acts. Fr. Walter Cuenin,Fr. Phillip Earley(lawyer for Catholic Charities and pastor of St. Thomas of Villanova parish), Fr. Richard Lewandowski(pastor of St. Camilla’s parish,Fitchburg and GLO Ministry director-PFLAG),( Dr. Joseph Doolin,president of Catholic Charities, and his long-time friend,Charles Connors,the president of Boston PFLAG, Vivian Soper and Patricia Dunne,social workers for Catholic Charities, Jean Proria who was distributing fliers promoting the New ways Ministry along with Fr. John J. White,who had just returned from Palm Springs,CA, where he owned a gay bed and breakfast with Fr. Paul Shanley. Paul Merullo,pastoral assistant for St. Thomas of Villanova parish who soon was to have to go to jail for” soliciting sex from a teenage boy”(Church worker is sentenced”,Globe,3/12/22,p.B3)., plus a few other supporters, developed this “outreach” to homosexuals organization”(as advertised in the church bulletin at St. Thomas of Villanova church,Oct.10,1999). This is exactly what is happening through Fr. John Unni and supporters who insist that the teachings of the Catholic Church be changed to meet their desires. Charles Martel and Chuck Colbert were supporters of the Companions program just as they are now supporters of the same-sex sex movement at St. Cecilia’s. If it wasn’t for the fact that the priest sex scandal began to explode in the press in 2001, and the fact that the Companions program was closely tied in with the efforts of Fr. John J. White and his best friend, Fr. Paul Shanley, as well as Sr. Jeannine Grammick and Fr. Robert Nugent, the founder of the New Ways Ministry, whose works were banned by the Holy See around that time, the Companions program would have become even more influential in the Boston Archdiocese. Would the fact that Fr. Walter Cuenin received an award for his having “contributed in a very positive way to the advancement of GLBT issues within the religious community”(Catholic priest to preach at Boston Pride Interfaith”, by Laura Kirtsy in Bay Windows, 2/2/2006) with no public objections from the Cardinal ,have prompted Fr. John Unni to figure that he could follow in the footsteps of Fr. Walter Cuenin in advancing ” in a very positive way to the advancement of GLBT issues”? It looks like he is doing exactly the same thing. Will he receive the GLBT award next year? Will the roots of dissent that were initiated in the Companions program continue to grow and uproot the truth of the Catholic Church regarding the need for repentance and spiritual growth in the way of Courage in the Boston Archdiocese?

Correction: The article in the Boston Globe regarding Paul Merullo should have been dated 3/12/02. He received a 2 1/2 year sentence because he “enticed a 16 year-old boy from St. Barbara;s Church in Woburn to have sex with him,according to court documents. In return,Merullo promised the youth “sex toys” and alcohol.”

Father Cutie, the concupiscent priest from south FLA, felt his lusts were more important than his priesthood.

Father Unni is following a similar path. Cutie, at least admitted his betrayal and left the Church. Unni is so puffed up in worldliness and the acclamations of a sexual elite that he is in danger of a similar fate.

Dialogue is good; apologetics is good; Scripture is good; questioning the positions and decisions of others, when done in a kind way, is good. Accusing people of illness, being disordered, comparing people to Shanley who is a convcted child-molester is evil. The judgement of others is not a right given to us by god. Judgement is something that he reserved for himself alone because alone he can see into people’s hearts, we cannot. It is wrong to speak for god, when we are not god. That also is something he reserves for himself. Sorry about the generic he, but you get the point. Kindness wins points, vitriolic rhetoric only divides and alienates those we wish to embrace which is all mankind? Tone in down a notch, guys and gals.

Paul Shanley is a folk hero to these people. Never forget he made his $300,000 bail and fled to P-town. The church says that homosexuality is gravely disordered.
I love it when people try to cast judgement as sinful…
Are you stupid? Or just another poorly formed modernist Catholic?
How do you practice the Cardinal virtue of Justice without using judgement?

Leaving judgement and condemnation to god is hardly a modernist catholic position…and I am neither, just a human being asking that others be left alone to be judged by god alone. By the way, pedophiles are scorned by everyone except other pedophiles. Pedophilia is pretty equally shared by both orientations.

Dear Last Catholic:
(1) I do not bluff
(2) I do not capitalize god because I do not believe in him/her
(3) I do not expect any agreement with anything I write, I just state my beliefs as you do also…I only speak for myself, no one or any institution
(4) I only ask for respectful dialogue
(5) I am not concerned about other humans condemning me to hell or where ever they may wish to send me
(6) I know I am a good person because I have cared 24/7 for my totally disabled son for 13 years and will for many more years because I love him and I in good karmic shape
(7) I do expect a very unkind response from you, but that’s ok

Phil,
Very cool.
Thanks for the background.
Why should any Catholic care if homosexuals have a party or celebrate gay pride ?
We don’t, its the Mass that is the problem. We believe that Christ is truly present and that it is a sacred time and place. The folks who are upset about this would be equally upset if it were a Mass to celebrate adultery, abortion or perhaps euthanasia of the handicapped. One issue is that these other positions that are in conflict with Catholic tradition and teaching don’t have lobbying groups within the Church like the gays. It is pretty much that simple.

The Catholic church makes some outlandish claims. That Jesus himself started it with Saint Peter the first Pope, that Jesus truly comes body, blood, soul and divinity at the consecration at Mass and that with sacramental confession sins are forgiven to the degree that God himself forgets about them! There are those who have attempted to turn The Church into something it has never been, a cafeteria of beliefs that everybody belongs to and can pick and choose what to believe. I believe the most accurate label for this phenomenon is modernism.

I also speak only for my self. I speak also as a…Church militant; someone who believes with his whole heart all that the Roman Catholic Church teaches and holds as dogmatic truth. This blog is a venue for discussion of these beliefs.

Regarding hell. No Catholic worth his salt would point the finger at somebody and tell them they are going to hell. Its dumb. God is the guy with the final say who goes to hell, heaven or purgatory. If you look at my postings you will find that frequently the biggest bomb tossers do not reply to my points, because the truth hurts. You on the other hand have stepped up.

I want to toss this back at you…
“I know I am a good person because I have cared 24/7 for my totally disabled son for 13 years and will for many more years because I love him and I in good karmic shape”

“Good person” is an elusive concept. I might guess you are a cradle Catholic who received weak Catholic teaching and formation, good person VS bad person is not really a mature understanding of what the Church teaches. What the Church teaches among other things is the sanctity of human life. Your care of your disabled son likely is a tremendous witness to this truth in action. Given what you have revealed about yourself I’d sooner call you a righteous and courageous man than a good person, not because I like you, but because it is more accurate. You judged your son worthy of your commitment and effort, many men walk out on healthy children, some even have them aborted to avoid the hassle. You mention good karmic shape, I take that as peace and consolation in the face of great hardship. Catholics call this grace and blessing from God, not Karma. The Catholic Church wrote the book on the merits of good work, we call them the corporal works of mercy.

I hope this does not sound overly kind, I’d hate to ruin my reputation.

TLCiB,
A couple of points.
There is something called Catholics for a Free Choice, so there are actually people who call themselves Catholics who think abortion is okay.
And this is different from a Mass to celebrate any of the sins you mention because, in the first place, no sin is mentioned and in the second people who call themselves gay or lesbian are not necessarily engaged in homosexual sin or defending it. And so this Mass does not actually endorse sin.

Dear Last,
Wow, a lot of tough stuff you throw at me. I will honestly attempt to answer your questions. I honor what you believe and your tenacity…it’s a rarity in today’s world of sinful indifference..
Your are right. I was a cradle Catholic and moreso. I was a member of an RC order for 8 years and saw more alcoholism and pedophila than you could shake a stick at. (Benedict was right in his assertion that the RC Church faces more problems from the filth within than the outside world.) Not homosexuality, but an attraction to children…two totally different issues. I know many, many gays and many of my son’s therapists are gay. I abhor pedophiles but gays and lesbians and just like the old hetero me. Pedo’s are stuck in a primitive level of sexual development and cannot relate to adult males or females.
I questioned everything. What I did learn in much research is there have been about 30 born of virgins, crucified and rising in three days gods since 2000 BC, beginning with the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Horus and company.. There stories are virtually identical. JC is the last of the series. I learned that the 12 apostles concept was modeled after the 12 signs of the zodiac. I learned that Emp. Constantine modeled Christianity after many pagan concepts to bring the heathens into the fold….on and on. I read and research daily and take nothing on faith but on historical fact.
I have learned that we are all interconnected through a study of quantum physics and energy and I have learned that we have past lives and return to human form to better ourselves, to become more like the Source. The old Jesuit Pierre Teillard deChardin often told us that we are spiritual beings who are having a human experience. I believe in spiritual masters and angels.
My belief in interconnectedness of all allows and compels me to fight for the aliented and the marginalized by any institurion. I do not believe JC existed as there is no parralel historical reference to him, except an obtuse reference in Josephus’ “Antiquities of the Jews”.and Pliny’s reference to a messiah But that’s irrelevant…my belief is that we are all one and our love for one another raises the conscious of our evolution to the Source ( what you refer to as god). I do not want to alienate or disparage any of my brothers and sisters on earth. I believe in good works and evil actions…evil exists to teach us the meaning of good.
Sorry for the rant, but that explains my interest in this topic. I am one man who dedicated my life to care for his son…because it’s right. I will fight for the right of other men and women to join in my inter-connectedness with Source. To me, sexual orientation is a non-issue compared to suffering and injustice I see on a daily basis.
I know this is not what you believe, and that’s ok. I love people who believe in something and fight for what they believe in. I abhor human indifference. We are on very different pages, but the book is the same? There is no intention to offend, but simply explain.

Naturgesetz,
‘Catholics for a free choice’ are imbeciles. If they don’t get ‘Babies are from God’ where do they suggest we start the conversation? I’d rather spend my time talking to a pair of old boots. At least the boots won’t ask me to hug them at some point. Yuk.

“no sin is mentioned”
Gay is a verb. Can we just be honest about it?
This – wink, wink – ‘celibate’ homosexual gig is a joke.
Sure there are those who carry the cross of same sex attraction but I’m thinking the gay pride events are not where you’d find them.

Philip,
My son Philip, how far you have strayed. Dialogue is good, truth is better.
The tough stuff brother, is charity. You quote Benedict yet veer off into new age spiritualism.
Re: historical fact – read Pius X on Modernism and see your Jesuit experience with new eyes.
Have you prayed for a miracle for your son? There are always causes for beatification, yours would be a beautiful story. Take that scapular out of the top draw and put it around your neck, you are going to need it.

“My belief in interconnectedness of all allows and compels me to fight for the alienated and the marginalized by any institution”
What compels you I suspect is Jesuit indoctrination of liberation theology after 8 years of formation, That coupled with a good guy prompting for the virtuous and helpful homosexuals that have assisted you with your boy. You can intellectually dodge this but you are on the Jesus team.

Yours wasn’t a rant , that was roaming in darkness.
I’d love to continue with this but honestly I’m spent.

Please share your source of data for this statement. Is it research based, scientific, some study undertaken, or just your personal belief? Research indicates clearly that the majority of pedophiles are heterosexual.

Sean,
Don’t take the bait.
There is a larger picture here regarding enemies of the church within.
This whole gay pride issue is just one piece of a larger… dare I say…conspiracy.
Philip knows that 81% of the sexual crimes where men assaulting pubescent boys.

Your gut tells you this queer thing is wrong. Stick with that and know that there are other Catholic men who stand with you.

A priest from the Archdiocese of Boston explained one of the ways in
which homosexual clergy resolved their cognitive dissonance. They would say
things like, “Well, celibacy only applies to not getting married, so since
we’re not getting married, we can do whatever we want.” Jason Berry
reports that in a study of 50 gay priests, only two said they were not
sexually active. More important, for this discussion, “Sixty percent said
they felt no guilt about breaking their vows,” and “Ninety percent
strongly rejected mandatory celibacy.” This was more than “defining
deviance down,” as Daniel Patrick Moynihan put it in 1992: this was a
collective psychological somersault and contributed to the abuse scandal.

we know from the first John Jay study (and the data are cited
several times in the second one one), that 81 percent of the victims were male, and
that almost as many were postpubescent. If we can extrapolate from this,
it suggests that acts of abuse were not only mostly of a homosexual
nature (pedophilia being largely ruled out), but that the abusive priests
also had sexual relations; the partners were
mostly of the same sex.

Once Father Unni can assent to the teachings of the RCC, as outlined below, he will become a priest of integrity within the Archdiocese. Can you assent Father Unni? Otherwise have the integrity of your conscience and resign your clerical office:

“To chose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator’s sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living. This does not mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves; but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent.”

“All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous.”

“Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.”

How can we expect Fr. Unni to assent to assent to the Pope and Magisterium when our Cardinal refuses to enforce Canon 915 and allows proabortion “Cathoilic” politicians to receive the Blessed Sacrament in this archdiocese?

Reread the statement which you quoted in the post. Nowhere does it say that the July 10 Mass is “celebrating Boston Gay Pride.” That is your spin on it. The diocese considers it ” a Mass welcoming the wider community of the faithful, including gays and lesbians.” So the question is, is one allowed to redefine it, and on that basis suggest that our archbishop is insane and that he and others must be removed from office? You must realize that “a national campaign to the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI asking for the resignation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Bishop Hennessey, Terry Donilon, Fr. Unni, and anyone else responsible for letting this happen” will not succeed. All it will accomplish is greater division of members of the flock from their shepherds.

I implore you to consider that our obligation is to put the best possible interpretation (not the worst) on the words and actions of others, especially those whom God has placed in authority over us.

The Archdiocese said “the Mass” originally scheduled for June 19″ had been postponed and rescheduled. The Mass referred to as “the Mass” was planned and promoted to celebrate and commemorate Gay Pride, and that Mass is now July 10.

What they did on Sunday night was widely seen as:
A “Gay Pride” prayer service held by a Catholic Church

Both the Boston Globe and Herald interpreted the archdiocesan statement the same way we did–the Mass planned for July 10 remains a Mass in support or in celebration of what the June 19 Mass was originally promoted for: Gay Pride.

The Herald says:

“the Boston archdiocese postponed a St. Cecilia’s Mass in support of Gay Pride Month…The Mass is now scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 10.”

The Boston Globe says:

Headline: “Mass marking gay pride is back on”: St. Cecilia’s sets July 10 for rite officials blocked
“A Mass at St. Cecilia’s Church intended to celebrate gay pride month that sparked controversy and was canceled by the Archdiocese of Boston has been rescheduled for next month, church officials said yesterday.”

That being said, you may disagree with our suggested course of action, but can we agree the intent of both St. Cecilia and the Archdiocese is to say the Mass originally intended to celebrate gay pride is simply now held on July 10?

“[C]an we agree the intent of both St. Cecilia and the Archdiocese is to say the Mass originally intended to celebrate gay pride is simply now held on July 10?”

No we can’t. In the original announcement of the postponement the Archdiocese insisted that the Mass was not to celebrate gay pride, and that it would be rescheduled in order to avoid having it seem to be. And in this announcement the Archdiocese again insists that the Mass is not just about gays and lesbians, but about the wider community of which they are only a part.

Everybody who attends will have his or her own ideas, but the Archdiocese has been at pains to insist that in permitting this Mass it is not permitting a Gay Pride Mass. (And that is why I think it is wrong to criticize them as if they were explicitly endorsing a Gay Pride agenda, and why any attempt to bring the Vatican into this is bound to fail.)

Keep reminding yourself of the Cardinal’s reiteration, in the context of this situation, of his statement of the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” and of the Pilot’s editorial quoting the USCCB in extenso.

naturgesetz,
As we all know, the originally scheduled June 19 Mass was promoted in the St. Cecilia bulletin as a “Liturgy to commemorate Boston Pride 2011″. “The Rainbow Ministry of Saint Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month.”

That’s what it said. The archdiocese statement in response said, “The wording and placement of a bulletin notice announcing that the St. Cecilia Rainbow Ministry will be joining the parish at a Mass on June 19 may have given the unintended impression that the Mass is in support of Gay Pride Week; it is not.”

No disputing the above, right?

If it was promoted as commemorating and celebrating Boston (Gay) Pride but somehow was not in support of Boston (Gay) Pride, then what exactly WAS it in support of? And if was promoted as commemorating and celebrating Boston (Gay) Pride but somehow by the archdiocesan logic gave an UNINTENDED impression it was in support of Gay Pride when it was not, then a) why did they use those words in the promotion and b) why didn’t they just correct and clarify whatever the intention was and let an event that conformed to Church teachings proceed as planned? It makes no sense.

Here’s what the statement actually says: “the Mass may have given the unintended impression the Mass is in support of Gay Pride WEEK; it is not.” That’s technically true–the Mass was actually in support of Gay Pride MONTH. The archdiocese used a head-fake.

The archdiocese never said the Mass was not intended to support Gay Pride–they merely said the Mass was not intended to support Gay Pride WEEK.

So, “the Mass” (to commemorate and celebrate Boston Pride) was not canceled–it “was postponed” and “the Mass has been rescheduled to Sunday July 10. “

If Cardinal O’Malley doesn’t know that the Mass at St. Cecilia’s on July 10 at 11 a.m. is “a special mass in honor of LGBT Pride” , he has only to look at the Bay Windows-New England’s Largest GLBT Newspaper- Monday,June 20,2011 and read the article by Hannah Clay Wareham,Associate Editor,”St. Cecilia’s Pride mass rescheduled for July ” . Not only does the article state :”The Rainbow Ministry at St. Cecilia’s Church will hold a special mass in honor of LGBT Pride on July 10,2011 at 11 a.m..” but it goes on the state:”The Archdiocese said that it had received criticism for sanctioning a celebration in honor of LGBT Pride.”

Therefore, you can’t say what the position of the Archdiocese is on the basis of what you read in Bay Windows. For the position of the Archdiocese on what the Mass is, you have to look to the actual statements of the Archdiocese. For added context, you can read Cardinal Seán’s blog, where he just reiterated his statement of several years ago on homosexuality and same-sex “marriage.”

I’ve read the other response you mention as well as this one. My point is that it was other people, not the officials at the Archdiocese who promoted it as being connected to Boston Pride. I don’t deny that the Rainbow Ministry said it was connected to Pride, but they aren’t the Archdiocese.

In effect the Rainbow Ministry said, “It’s a Pride Mass,” when they first planned it, and the Archdiocese has said twice, “No it isn’t.”

Logic may say that they can’t both be right (but it could be like “happiness” in the ad for Kent cigarettes decades ago, that is, “different things to different people”). But I don’t think you should blame the Archdiocese for permitting anything beyond what they say they’re permitting. If you want to blame the Rainbow Ministry for what they say it is, fine. But even there, they don’t have to agree that Pride means precisely what you think it means. They are entitled to say what they mean by the term, and not to be blamed for a meaning they disclaim.

BTW, I wonder if any readers who are familiar with how things are at St. Cecilia’s could please explain what the Rainbow Ministry is, and how it is connected with St. Cecilia’s Parish. From the things that have appeared in the parish bulletin, the Rainbow Ministry seems to be operating independently of Fr. Unni or any other authority at the parish. Is it as autonomous as it appears, or is it really controlled by Fr. Unni, or what?

You are incorrect naturgesetz when you assert that we cannot determine what the position of the Archdiocese is. For years the Archdiocese has tolerated St. Cecilia’s “rainbow ministry,” a ministry which is at odds with Catholic moral teaching and which has been promoting “gay pride.” Additionally, the parish has been promoting the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, a organization which militantly promotes same-sex “marriage.”

If the Archdiocese didn’t approve, it would have acted. But to date we have not witnessed any condemnation of these errors. The vocation of a Bishop involves more than putting up a Blog post. Read Veritatis Splendor, No. 113. Where there is dissent, the Church’s Pastors have the duty to act in conformity with their apostolic mission and to insist on the right of the faithful to receive Catholic doctrine in its purity and integrity.

Fr. Unni should be removed from the priestly ministry. He has proven himself incapable of leading a parish with integrity and with fidelity to Church teaching.

A woman named Amanda left this comment, which makes a good point, at La Salette Journey, “What does the Archdiocese mean when it says (in its June 19th statement): ‘We respect the desire of those individuals organizing and participating in the prayer service..’

What desire? For same-sex ‘marriage’? The dissident’s desire for Church acceptance of homosexual acts? Their desire to see a change in Church teaching?

We’ve all read comments from some of those who belong to either St. Cecilia’s or its ‘rainbow ministry.’ One referred to the teaching of the Magisterium as ‘bile.’ Others have twisted the scriptures or Church teaching in an effort to justify homosexuality.

God, you people are pathetic. These are fellow Catholics. They are not attending Mass to destroy the RC Church. They are people who bring their children to Mass, who serve dinner at the Pine Street Inn, who contribute in myriad ways to the life of the parish. The chair of the parish council is a gay man, many who minister in the parish are gay. They love the Church or they wouldn’t be part of this parish. And guess what, many parishes and dioceses are run by gay men. Don’t you people have better ways to spend your time? Pathetic and embarrassing, the lot of you.

God bless you Joe Sacerdo! You have managed to embody as well as anyone else I know the fullness of Catholic teaching: support for perons with homosexual attraction and condemnation of homosexual activity. I have found you to be (via this latest controversy in Boston and the mischaracterization on the part of some archdiocesan officials and commentators on your blog of your legitimate efforts to defend and advance Catholic teaching in Catholic institutions) an exceptionally courageous and patient man.
As an outsider to your city, the Church in Boston appears to me to be the most reduced of any local Church that I have heard of. I grieve for what authentic Catholics like you must be enduring at the hands of so many Modernists running the Archdiocese of Boston; your’s is really a white martyrdom.
I once read the book “The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture.” by Philip F. Lawler. The author did an excellent job of tracing the decline of orthodoxy back to the just pre-Vatican II days due to the morally compromised and doctrinally compromising prelates then running your archdiocese. There was so much hope in Catholic circles when Cardinal O’Malley became Boston’s ordinary but since the scandalous funeral service for Senator Kennedy a clear pattern of heterodoxy has been established in that see.
Please correct me if I’m wrong but it appears to me that the Faith has been abandoned in the ecclesial echalons of Boston (unfortunately, this is widespread throughout the entire Church since the Vat II “new springtime”). I pray that those in the remnant are able to gather together and encourage one another. I hope that the nuncio steps in soon, otherwise you have about at least 10 more years of this tribulation. Keep the Faith and pass it on brother. You are in my prayers.

Could we possibly allow that a highly placed cardinal, a man brought in to clean up the molestation scandals, doesn’t comprehend the magnitude of the scandal here? No. Despite all the complaints in recent years about the cardinal who is absent while the staff runs amok, we now see a decisive cardinal who has executed a premeditated plan, not only to allow a scandalous Mass, but to pit conservative Catholics against the gay pride front over the span of weeks so that his final decision grants the queers a rousing victory over us “hateful” folks. On top of this, the cardinal realizes which group places more in his collection box, for those who observe the moral teachings also observe the precept of supporting the Church. Nonetheless, he spits in our faces.

Dear “conservatives,” when will you stop funding a cardinal who panders to queers and rubs your noses in their anuses? And to Joe Sacerdo, who has done a marvelous job reporting on this scandal, I’d ask just how many more column inches you’ll allow to these vipers who spit on the Church’s doctrine, mock your arguments like cackling magpies, and sow confusion?

Joe: I hope that you don’t mind. I extracted part of your article and posted it at Good Jesuit Bad Jesuit. I long past having any patience with the sodomites in the “Society of Jesus”. Joe, the laity is going to have to take the Church back. The Bishops and “men” like Mahoney just don’t know how to be men. End of story. This madness has to end. I wholeheartedly support you. God Bless you, Joe.